I Sense Something Between Us
by AccountTerminated
Summary: Takes place after the last 'closetalking' episode. Shawn and Juliet struggle with their true feelings for each other.
1. I Sense Something Between Us

**Chapter One: Lies To Self**

[Takes place after the "close-talking" scene

"Oh man. Oh man oh man oh man oh man…" Juliet O'Hara, junior detective uttered under her breathe repeatedly after Shawn Spencer walked away with his classic strut. Attempting to reassemble her handgun, she fumbled. _Ok, what is wrong with me? It was nothing. I mean he didn't technically kiss me. Just close talking like he said. Yeah that's it. He felt nothing, and I felt nothing. _But, she did feel something. Unsure of what that feeling was, Juliet tried to shrug it off. _Get it together, O'Hara! You do NOT like Shawn! He's…Shawn! You know, crazy, immature, over confident, amusing, charming, smart, cute…oh man is he gorgeous. _She caught herself in mid thought. _Ok, where'd that come from? Breathe in and out. In and out. Phew ok. I'm ok. I bet he isn't even thinking about it, so why should I?_ Gathering her things, Juliet leaves the SBPD and heads for home, trying her best not to over think what went on just a few minutes ago.

[Shawn's POV

_That's it, baby. Walk away. Leave her wanting more._ Shawn Spencer smirked as he confidently strutted of the station, away from Juliet. He laughed to himself and thought, _Seriously, I am that good! Did you see her knees nearly trembling! Shawn, you are a true ladies man._ The more he continued walking out towards Gus's, his closest friend, cobalt blue car, the more his attitude changed. His heartbeat began to quicken. _Ok, why are my palms sweaty? My palms never sweat. Ok, play it cool so Gus won't ask me any questions…_

"Shawn, what's wrong with you?" Gus, who sat in the driver's seat asked without really caring for an answer. After years of friendship with Shawn, Gus knew that _everything _was wrong with him. But the long friendship has also built him up a tolerance for Shawn's irrational behavior.

Shawn scoffed. An attempt to play it cool, "Eh, nothing. Let's just go. I'm kinda tired."

Gus raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" He glanced up at the station and saw a seemingly tense Juliet leaving for her car. "Shawn, what went on in there?"

_Sigh_. "Dude it was nothing, ok"

Squinting is eyes and pursing his lips, Gus nodded towards Juliet's car, "You kissed her didn't you?"

Catching him off guard, Shawn over exaggerated his tone and body movements, "Ugh what? Dude, no! I just…" He realized he was yelling at his nosy friend, and figured that made Shawn seem even more suspicious. So, he calmed down and talked more slowly. Almost as if Gus were a child, "Look, Gus, there's a Three's Company marathon on TVLand and I just don't want to miss it ok?"

Gus rolled his eyes and decided to drop it. He was too tired to deal with it now. He'd bug him about it later. Possibly when Shawn was sleeping since he tends to sleep talk quite frequently, "Psh, whatever, Shawn."

_Ok, why am I getting so defensive about this? I was supposed to make her knees weak. Not the other way around. I mean, I really like Juliet, but she hardly gives me the time of day. She's one of the few women I can catch with a wink or a smile. I just want to figure her out that's all. That's it._

But Shawn knew he was lying to himself. Back at the station earlier that night, he had wanted to kiss her so badly. He had even been coming up with ways he could do it. He'd been thinking about this for quite some time. She was just so amazing to him. But there's no way she'd want him. She's not like the other women he went after, or who was after him.

_I think my plan backfired._ Shawn thought as they hit another stoplight.


	2. Murder vs Sales

(This is another short chapter, but I hope you guys like it!)

**Chapter Two:**** Murder vs. Sales**

_Thirty-six, thirty- seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, for—_

Shawn's paddleball count was interrupted by _"You Can't Touch This"_—his ringtone. Scoffing at his loss of count, he slipped his freehand into his left pocket, retrieved his cell, and viewed the caller ID. _Chief_. Under his breath, Shawn muttered, "Ahh, well there goes my all-day plans of Paddleball Tournament: Me vs. Myself." With a smirk, he flips open the phone, "You need me don't you? I could sense you were going to call me, so I went ahead and cleared my schedule."

"Shawn!" Karen Vick, irritated, bit back, "I don't have time for your quip. We've hit a roadblock on this case and you need to get over here now. It's a life and death situation. How fast can you come?" She spoke quickly and authoritatively. Shawn would never admit this, but she terrified him at times.

"I'll be over in two shakes of a lamb's tail." Shawn scrunched up his brows. He gain satisfaction from testing people, "Although, I've never actually seen a lamb shake its tail—let alone seen an actual lamb. But, there was that one time when I was in the 3rd grade and someone let the animals loose in the petting zoo." He chuckled to himself, "I have no idea who did that, but I bet he was awesome. Wait…I—I mean that _person_—let out _goats_…not sheep…" Noticing silence on the other end, he glanced at his phone.

_Call ended…_Most likely after Shawn wisecracked "_two shakes of a lamb's tail"_

* * *

Walking side-by-side, Shawn and Gus marched down the halls of the SBPD, determined. Well, Shawn was determined. Gus, on the other hand, was apprehensive.

"Shawn, why did you call me to come over here? I was working on a very important deal! But, _noooo. _I got called because you're afraid to work alone!" Gus snapped, pointing a finger in Shawn's face.

Lightly smacked Gus's hand away, "Oh, my dear dear _dearly_ beloved friend, Gus. Why are you fighting it? You know you love working with me." He nodded at him and grinned, "Don't you? C'mon. Admit it."

Gus squinted his eyes. Otherwise, his expression was neutral, but his mood was annoyed, "I will slap you Shawn. I mean it." He replaced his finger in Shawn's direction again.

Again smacking Gus's hand away, Shawn knew Gus would come along. He might deny it, but Gus loved the detective adventure as much as he, "Gus, after losing nearly twenty games in a row of Rock Paper Slap, I think I've built up an immunity to your girly-slaps. Now enough messing around and let's get on this case! I mean what's more fun? Murder? Or Sales?

No response.

"See? I think that speaks for itself."


	3. The LASSIE Case

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**A/N: First, I want to thank everyone for the reviews! I'm so sorry this is another ridiculously short chapter. And you might think this story is starting to get a little…silly lol. Well, it is. But bear with me! After the next few chapters, I plan into writing a Shules moment! **

**Chapter Three: The L.A.S.S.I.E Case**

Walking through the Chief's office doors, Gus had one last comment before fully complying, "First of all you lost _twenty-five _games of Rock Paper Slap. And lastly, I _do not_ slap like a girl!" He lifted his hand, "You want me to show you? Cause I will, Shawn!"

"Boys, boys, please enough of your annoyingly unnecessary behavior," Detective Lassiter rolled his eyes. He done this so many times, his doctor informed him that he was developing vision problems. Thanks, Shawn.

Shawn's heart began to quicken after he spotting Juliet hovering over some paperwork on Chief Vick's desk, "Hey Jules!"

Juliet cleared her throat, "H-hey Shawn." She spoke softly. Was she flushed?

Oh yeah, she was flushing. And Shawn liked that he had that effect on her. Without moving, he quickly looked her up and down and smirked, but Juliet only looked back down and the mysterious forms.

Gus broke the uncomfortable silence, "So what do we have here chief?"

"Lovely Acceptable Sisters of Santa Barbara Involved Everyday. L.A.S.S.I.E. for short." The chief informed.

Shawn began to shake and shiver and placed his index and middle fingers onto his temples and joked, "AHH I see it now! _Lassie-face_ did it…it's as clear as day! _He_ murdered…" He removed he hands and returned to normal, "Wait. What's the excessively long acronym have to do with murder? Did someone murder the person who made up that name?"

Lassiter was upset now. More than usual. He had enough of Shawn. If Lassiter did commit murder, it would be Shawn's, "Will you shut up and listen!"

Now it was Shawn's turn to roll his eyes, but remained silent anyway.

Chief continued, "L.A.S.S.I.E. is an organization where older women come together and donate to various charities, make quilts for the homeless, cook for the needy, etcetera." She glanced once in a while at the forms before her for reference purposes.

"But seriously though, that's kind of an excessively long title for an organization, don't you think?" Shawn quipped as he frowned.

"Shut up, Shawn!" It was Juliet this time. She seemed on edge.

This definitely made Shawn quiet. _I can never seem to figure her out…._

Chief Vick continued, "Yesterday, there was a bake sale that ended in one of Sisters' death, and—"

Shawn just wouldn't pipe down, "Wait wait wait wait hold on. So someone murdered an old lady…at a bake sale?"

"That's right." She dipped her head, "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue unless you can tell us the answer right now. We can wait."

All four, Lassiter, Chief Vick, Juliet, and Gus all faced him, wearing looks that seemed to say "Shut your pie-hole and let's get the details, for crying out loud."

Shawn backed up, "Ok, fine whatever. Don't forget of who called whom to help with this case." Now it was Shawn's turn to be impatient. After hearing some of the details, he was interesting now more than ever!


	4. I Sense Something Smelly

**A/N: Thanks again all for the reviews! I thrive on them. I'm not sure, but think this chapter is a little longer than the others. There's also going to be some Shules moments perhaps in chapter 6. Stay tuned!**

**Chapter Four: I Sense Something Smelly**

Now it was Juliet's turn to speak. She was holding a folder with information on the victim, "Ms. Novak. 48 years old, recently engaged, no children. We found her body in the tent where they stored her extra cupcakes. She was stuffed under the table. She had multiple bruising from an apparent beating to her left temporal lobe. We're quite sure it came from a rolling pin that was spotted near the victim and contained DNA from her. But that's all we found." Juliet looked at a lost. Shawn hated seeing her so distressed. He had to help.

"I will never eat cupcakes again." Gus held his stomach, nauseated, imagining a corpse lying near a basket of goodies. Naturally, he ran towards the restroom.

"Do you have any pictures?" Shawn was completely focused now. He had a goal. 1. Solve the murder. 2. Get on Jules's good side. 3. Ask her out. Finally.

Lassiter reluctantly handed Shawn a handful of photos and thought, _He's not even a detective. I swear if he solves this case, I'm leaving for good. I mean it this time._

Shawn's keen observational skills began to take affect as he viewed the photographs taken by L.A.S.S.I.E and the police: A picture of the Sisters next to the table of all the baked good before they were sold; A picture of each Sister next to each food they cooked; Several pictures of the dead body taken from several angles; A close up of the weapon. Something wasn't right…

"Tell me about _her_." Shawn pointed to the picture of a woman next to her 'Flat Stack Ginger Snap Cookies' as the sign next to her suggested.

Juliet pulled out another folder of all of the people they interviewed during the scene of the crime, "Her name is Ms. Wilkes. She's 51. She is recently divorced from a 30 year marriage. No kids."

Something in the picture of the victim and Mrs. Wilkes popped out to Shawn, "Jules, did Ms. Wilkes say how long ago she got a divorce?"

Juliet shrugged, "She said it became final about two weeks ago. She didn't seem to happy about it."

"What about Ms. Novak? How long as she been engaged?"

"The women say that had her engagement party over it about…." Juliet searched her thoughts, trying desperately to remember. When Shawn was like this: serious, determined, authoritative, it was quite…nerve wrecking. And she liked it, "…within the last week."

He stared at the picture again. Oh, he _so_ had this one. It was almost too easy. Time to put on The Act. Just in time too, because Gus came back into the office looking both queasy and inquisitive.

"What's going on?"

"Shhh!!" Shawn put his entire hand over Gus's face, "I'm…..I'm sensing something……" He sniffed. And sniffed again. Now, he was practically dancing across the room sniffing, "Ahh that smell! So delicious!" He pranced over to Lassiter and sniffed him. Lassiter wasn't having any of it, so he forcefully pushed Shawn to the floor. Ouch. Not good for Shawn's ego. But he recovered and jumped back up, sniffing away. He headed over to Juliet, who was fascinated by all of this, and sniffed her hair.

Juliet backed away a fraction of an inch. _Ok, that was a little weird_, "Shawn, what does smelling my hair have to do with this case?"

Shawn popped out of his 'trance', "Nothing." Abruptly snapping back into his 'psychic vision,' Shawn exclaimed, "Oh, Gus can you smell that!" He sniffed to Gus's direction and whispered in his ear, "Say ginger!"

"Uhh" Gus played along, "Ginger! Shawn, I smell ginger!"

"Yes, you do! Thank you my Super-Smeller! _Ginger_!" Shawn began to snap his fingers repeatedly, "Wa—what's happening?"

"Snapping!" Chief yelled, "You're snapping your fingers!"

Juliet gasped and laughed aloud, "Ginger snap cookies!" Her and Chief high-fived each other on this game of charades, "But what about the cookies? Wait…are you talking about Ms. Wilkes' Flat Stack Ginger Snap Cookies?"

Shawn "faints" at this.

Silence.

Juliet grew concerned that Shawn's vision was so powerful, that his body couldn't handle the trance. Chief Vick was concerned that Shawn wouldn't wake up in time to solve the case. Gus was concerned that he would lose his job while Shawn was busy playing Charades. Lassiter could care less about any of them. All he wanted was info on the killer so he'd have an excuse to use his gun.

"Ohhhhh!! I've got it!" Shawn exclaimed from below. Practically jumping up, he wore a giant smile on his face, "I solved the case ladies." He looks at Lassiter, "Oh, I'm sorry. And gentlemen."

"Quit goofing around, Spencer, and get to the point!" Solving the case or not, he was tempted to use his gun anyway. Shawn would make a nice practice dummy.

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**A/N: Normally I would try to upload one chapter a day, but I'm sending this one in early just in case I won't have time since school starts back tomorrow. But you never know! Next chapter "****Food Fight. No, wait. Food _Murder." _**


	5. Food Fight No, wait Food Murder

**A/N: I'm sorry it took awhile to add another chapter. School was insane. But to make up for it, here are two chapters.**

**Chapter Five: Food Fight. No, wait. Food **_**Murder.**_

"Ms. Wilkes did it."

Lassiter scoffed, "I suspected that! Chief, you heard me say it was her. Why didn't you listen?"

Chief put her hand up to Lassiter as if to silence him, "Yes, but you couldn't come up with a motive. Keep going, Spencer."

Shawn proudly nodded, "You say Ms. Novak was killed by repeated blows to the head from a rolling pin. But at the bake sale, cupcakes, cakes, and homemade candy were all available. However, one confectionary delicacy was not three-dimensional. Flat Stack Ginger Snap Cookies. As the name implies, they were flat. And I'm sure quite delicious. But what would make this Flat Stack Ginger Snap Cookies flat? Gus?"

Gus raised his hand like an eager schoolboy, "A rolling pin?"

"A+ Gus! A rolling pin. Those things are tough enough to kill someone."

Juliet shook her head, "Ok, nice theory, but how do you know that Ms. Wilkes did it? It could have been anyone who used her rolling pin. She could have been framed."

"Yes, you are right. But one thing comes to my mind. One thing that will prove that Ms. Wilkes is the killer. I'm sensing…" He placed his fingers onto his temple again, "Seven days…a video tape? A well? Samara? What?"

Juliet slapped her hands and snapped her finger, "The Ring! Ok…a movie?"

"Yes! No. Not a movie." Shawn became focused on the case again. He loved Jules and him playing off of each other. If there was ever a Taboo Tournament around, she was so on his team, "But…a ring. No, wait. _Two_ rings. They look alike. You said Ms. Novak was recently engaged. If you look at the ring that was on her body, and the ring that Ms. Wilkes _still_ has on her finger, you'll see that the same person gave it them! I'm sensing the line 'Bart Loves You' on both of those rings."

Even Lassiter began absorbed in the plot.

Shawn kept on, "Most likely, Ms. Wilkes got a divorced from Bart, because he was having an affair with Ms. Novak! And I'm pretty sure that this 'Bart' is the same guy. I mean, how many people names their kid 'Bart.' No offense to those named Bart."

"Shawn!" All four yelled simultaneously.

Shawn threw his hands up in defense, "I'm just saying! Anyway, now that Ms. Novak and Bart got engaged, Ms. Wilkes was enraged. I mean, c'mon, Ms. Novak was her Sister! And she stole her husband. Ms. Wilkes needed revenge! To teach her a lesson. And I'm guessing that the fact that her cookies weren't selling to hot really ticked her off into going mad. She had enough. Novak took everything from her! She spotted her chance when Ms. Novak went to get more of her cupcakes from the tent, since they were selling like hotcakes. She saw her rolling pin she used to make those awful cookies of her, and took her chance! BAM!" Shawn banged his fist into the air below.

Gus, Chief, Juliet, _and,_ Lassiter all became so engrossed in the story, they jumped when Shawn raised abruptly raised his voice describing the impact.

"BAM! BAM! Ms. Novak was down. Oh, but it wasn't over yet. The customers were coming quickly. No time to stash the body appropriately. So she pushed the now-dead Ms. Novak under the table. The same table that held Ms. Novak's own cupcakes. Mmm, what a sad demise." Shawn took a bow and Juliet applauded him.

Chief shook her head in disbelief, "Wow, Shawn I must say I'm impressed once again! We'll get on this investigation. I knew we could count on you." She made a quick phone call then exited to prepare for the arrest.

_Guess I'm quitting_. Lassiter sulked to himself. Thankfully, he's accepted the fact that he lies to himself and followed Chief Vick to wrap up the case.

Gus glanced at Juliet. Then Shawn. "Well, I've got a lot of work to catch up on." Leaving Juliet and Shawn alone.

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**A/N: I know that the case may be ridiculous lol, but I'm just trying to get to Shules, which is in the next chapter :)**


	6. No Big Deal It’s Just Dinner

**Chapter Six: No Big Deal. It's Just Dinner. **

"Well, you did it again, Shawn. You've successfully solved yet another case." Juliet wanted to add 'I don't know what we'd do without you,' but she didn't want to add fuel to his oversized-ego. She uncomfortably swallowed. Ever since their 'close encounter' a few nights ago, she was unsure of how to act around him—unsure of her feelings. Something about him was so…mysterious…something more that what others saw on the surface.

Shawn drew closer to Juliet. _Enough beating around the bush. Either she'll accept it, which would be great, or she'll reject it, which…might bruise a bit._ He audibly cleared his throat and gathered his frayed nerves. Oh, how she made him anxious, "Jules, do you want to have dinner sometime?" He was going to leave it at that, but he added, "With me?"

Juliet chuckled nervously and looked away from Shawn's intense gaze, "What? Huh?" Her voice trembled slightly as she tucked a lock of her golden hair behind her ear and pretended to look through mundane papers. "Oh, no Shawn. I'm sorry, no."

_Ouch_._ That' gonna leave a mark tomorrow,_ "Why? It's only dinner." He tried to quickly recover. All she did was reject dinner, and that stung.

Juliet sighed and slapped the papers back onto Karen Vick's desk, "Shawn, you know I'm totally against the whole 'dating your co-workers' thing." Juliet still couldn't look him straight in the eye. For, if she did, she'd be tempted to have dinner with him. Maybe even accept a marriage proposal, or even move to Guam if he asked. She only shook her head, "If the relationship goes bad then that screws everything up at work, and you suffer. And, on top of that, you might lose a friend. Someone's eventually going to get hurt." Now, she matched his gaze. Only her stare was filled with sadness.

_There must be more to this than she's letting on…_ "Relationship? Ha whoa! Slow down there Jules!" His joking attitude is now gone, as he leans his hands onto the same desk. His voice is low, barely audible. But enough for Juliet to hear him, "I'm just talking about dinner. You know…between friends. There's no strings attached. It doesn't have to go anywhere," _But I want it too, _"I just want to eat with you."

"Shawn…" She was tired of fighting it. She makes a blend of sounds mixed with a scoff, a laugh, and sigh, "You know, fine. Let's have dinner Shawn!" She lifts her arms as if giving up, "After I go out with you, will that be the end of it?"

Shawn removes his hands from the desk, and backs away, feeling victorious, "We'll see."

* * *

_THUD_

Juliet yelped and hopped on one foot. A blue pump was to blame for her tripping. Actually, there was more than one pump lying aimlessly on the floor of Juliet's apartment. Nearly twenty pairs of shoes flooded the floor. The floor wasn't the only victim in this fashion hurricane. The bed, closet, bathroom, and even the hallway was becoming endangered. Jeans, skirts, pantyhose, tops, jackets, hair accessories, and makeup were all over. _Ok, why am I panicking? I've got ten minutes before Shawn picks me up and I still don't have anything to wear!_ _Ugh, I changed my mind. Panicking is appropriate, if not encouraged. _Of course, Juliet _did_, in fact, have something to wear. But, it wasn't her fault that it made her look like a blonde cheeseburger. _A lemon top with brown pants, and a green hair clip and flats! What was I thinking?_ Now, _nothing_ looked appropriate. She didn't want too look too casual. Shawn's said 'dinner.' That could imply a nice restaurant. Then again, it _was_ Shawn she was talking about. So it every well may be dinner at Chuck E. Cheese. But, she didn't want to look too formal. It wasn't technically a date. She had to be ready.

_Ding Dong._

_Oh, snap! Ten minutes up already?! I'll give him credit for being on time, but c'mon_. No way was she leaving in her getup: a white spaghetti-strap tank, and boy shorts. She was _not_ ready. _Not that he'd complain._

_Ding Dong._

Juliet finally settled on a fuzzy, baby pink bathrobe.

"Shawn!" Juliet overly exclaimed as she opened the door. _Wow he looks…great._

_Wow, she looks…not ready. _Despite this, Shawn was glad to see that she actually answered her door instead of changing her mind altogether, "Um, do you need more time? Or, if your getup is an invitation to something, I won't stop you." He breaks into a full on smile.

Juliet blushes at this of course, but quickly dismisses it, "Yeah, actually I do. I just lost track of time with work. So, when I looked at the clock, I realized I had ten minutes to get dressed!" _Liar. You know you've been trying on clothes for nearly two hours, _"So, needless to say, I need more time."

Shawn tried his hardest not to laugh after spotting several articles of clothing sprawled everywhere several feet behind Juliet. _She can't find anything to wear._ Normally, Shawn would have been flattered if he had not, himself, tried on several different shirts. Of course, he didn't have much of a variety, so he tried on the same shirts several times before settling on a blue pinstripe dress shirt and jeans. He never fussed over clothes before. Usually, he'd grabbed whatever didn't smell. He wouldn't admit this, but he was nervous too, "Eh, no problem. I'll wait here while you gussy up." No matter how Shawn felt internally, he surely didn't let it show on the outside.

_So this is Jules' pad_. Shawn thought as he casually walked around Juliet's family room while she finished dressing. Her place looked just like its owner. Pretty, cheerful, neat, and bright. Everything was traditionally put together…except for a neon green beanbag chair in the corner. _Hmm, she has a crazy side I obviously don't know about. _Even though the chair was as ugly as sin the chair, Shawn was even more determined to find out more about his Jules.

Shawn was lost in thought, until he heard a faint _purr._ Juliet's white cat seemed to have a liking towards Shawn's leg as she rubbed her furry face against it. Lifting the cat up to eye level, Shawn decided to strike up a conversation with the animal.

"I don't know your name, so I'm going to name you myself. You shall be called…" Shawn wrinkled his nose and thought, "Mrs. Tiddlywinks." He cleared his throat, obviously enjoying this one-on-one time with Juliet's pet, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Shawn Spencer. Oh—what was that, I'm sorry?" He placed the cat's mouth next to his ear and chuckled, "Oh, Mrs. Tiddlywinks, You are a major flirt!" He moved the cat towards his face, "I think you are incredibly attractive too! But, you're a _Mrs_. I don't think the mister would be non too pleased with our harmless flirting."

* * *

Finally settling on pair of skinny dark blue jeans, a fitted V-neck baby blue top, and matching ballet flats, Juliet was nearly all set. After one more touch up of coral pink lipgloss, another flip of her wavy hair, and a squirt of her favorite lavender perfume, she was finally ready. _And it only took me twenty minutes. O' Hara, you work best under pressure._ She was about to grab her handbag, when she heard a muffled voice coming from the family room. _Sounds like Shawn is talking to someone_. Curious as to what was going on, she tiptoed from her room to the family room. _Oh my goodness._ Juliet tried her best to stifle a laugh. The slap-your-knee-I-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom-before-I-pee-on-myself laugh. There Shawn was, back turned, holding and having a conversation with Romeo! _Poor kitty._

Clearly trying to pass the time before Juliet returned from sprucing up, Shawn was actually enjoying this conversation between feline and homo sapien. All was well until he caught a glimpse of the reflection in the television he was facing. He saw Juliet sneaking up on him and trying not to laugh. _I'll give her something to laugh about_. Back still turned, but fully aware of Juliet's presence, Shawn continued his 'conversation' with Mrs. Tiddlywinks, "So what's it like living with Jules? I hear she's kind of clingy." The cat is now at his ear again, "Mmmhmm. Mmmhmm. Yes? Oh!" Shawn began to laugh, "Now, Mrs. Tiddlywinks, I don't think Jules will take to kindly about you gossiping about her."

Juliet only shook her head. _Shawn, Shawn, Shawn. Only you_. Depsite Shawn's strange behavior (although no stranger than usual), she was loving this. She loved to laugh, and Shawn was great at accomplishing this.

Shawn smirked flirtatiously, "So, Mrs. Tiddlywinks, you know I have a psychic connection with cats, right? Good. Can you help me with a psychic reading? Great! Ok, what is Jules wearing?" He nodded and winked.

_Oh my gosh, Shawn._ Juliet blushes from behind.

"I have an idea, Mrs. Tiddlywinks. Let's put our heads together so we can figure this out." Shawn lifted the cat to him until their heads were touching. He shut his eyes and began to hum. First quietly. Then loudly. After about ten seconds of humming, Shawn exclaimed, "I see it! Oh, Mrs. Tiddlywinks, I see it" Shawn lifted his left eyelid to see Juliet's reflection in the television, "Blue! I see blue! Jules is wearing _something_ blue!" He removes the cat from his face and smirks at her, "Should I be blushing?"

Juliet only rolls her eyes, but curiously watching and enjoying.

The feline and Shawn's head here connected again. More humming, "Light blue. We see a light blue top. And…matching...shoes…yes, it's coming so clear to us now!" Only after opening both eyes this time to see the reflection fully, did Shawn's heart stop. He started to talk without actually thinking, "Wow…she looks…so beautiful. Everything. I—wow." The cat is lowered as Shawn's attention is completely on the television. Mrs. Tiddlywinks is forgotten.

_He thinks I'm beautiful._ Now, it was Juliet's turn for her heart to stop. She steps towards Shawn, "Shawn. I'm sorry if I took too long." She suddenly felt embarrassed and nervous. Was she falling for Shawn? No. No, that couldn't be it.

Turning around to face her, Shawn tenderly gazed into her eyes, "Well, my psychic vision was right. You look wonderful, Juliet."

Juliet lifts an eyebrow and snorted. Not an attractive snort, by the way, "_Juliet?_ C'mon Shawn. I'll let you get away with Mrs. Tiddlywinks, but not Juliet coming from you." She loved Shawn's nickname for her. It made her feel special. _Ok, what's with all this 'Shawn makes me feel good' crap I've been thinking?_ But it was true though. He did make her feel good.

Shawn feigns shock and gasped, eyes wide and mouth open. Leave it to Shawn to over exaggerate, "You mean you were _spying_ on me and Mrs. Tiddlywinks? I'm shocked and appalled!"

"Shawn, her name is Romeo." She giggled.

Shawn shook his head, "_Romeo?_ That's a girl cat. I think _Mrs. Tiddlywinks_ is more suiting."

"Yeah, but I like the whole _Romeo and Juliet _thing." Juliet then winked flirtatiously at Shawn and turned away back to her room to retrieve her handbag. _That's right O' Hara. Leave him wanting more._

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**A/N: I have a half a chapter after this one, and I'm trying to fight writer's block. Hopefully this might hold you over until I add more :)**


	7. Carefree 1pt Logic 0pts

**A/N: It's been awhile since my last update, school has been crazy! Thanks for bearing with me! Just so you know, I've got a few ideas up my sleeve about this story. It's going to get pretty dramatic down the line. **

**And if there are typos here, I apologize for missing them. Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Carefree-1point / Logic-0points**

All the confidence Juliet possessed earlier was now long gone after she spotted their transportation: Shawn's motorcycle. She had nothing against motorcycles. On the contrary, she secretly loved them. She'd ridden her dad's when she was nine. But, after a frightening fall, her mother planted the fear of motorcycles in Juliet's head. As a result, she carried this fear throughout most of her life. That is, until she saw Shawn Spencer cruising around in one. Her love for motorcycles was ignited. _So dangerous and exciting. So sleek and suave. So smooth and debonair._ And Shawn's bike wasn't half bad either. Juliet's main beef with the bike tonight, was that her hair was finally perfect, and she knew what with just one gust of wind, it would be all over. Her grotesque puffed up hair might freak Shawn out enough that he'd run away from her right then and there. _Now why am I worried about Shawn dumping me? There's nothing to dump!_

Seeing Juliet's worried expression towards his motorcycle, Shawn's confidence waned. _Man, it'd be great if I could afford a nice car. Maybe then Jules might be more impressed when we go out again._ Oh, yes. He though '_again_' and they hadn't technically gone out once! Attention back on his motorcycle, Shawn, once again, covers his insecurities with humor, "Jules, staring at my motorcycle won't turn it into a Ferrari. Or, were you expecting a hummer?"

An amused Juliet's gaze finally because unglued from the bike and moves towards Shawn, "Shawn-"

"Or, maybe you wanted a limo with Robin Leach in the back, offering us the finest champagne as we celebrate the lives of the rich and plastic?"

Juliet was fully laughing now. All of her worries about Chia-Pet hair was out the window. _Man, how does he do that to me?_ "Shawn! It's ok! Your motorcycle is just fine." Her laughter subsides, as seriousness takes control.

The intensity of the silence was so thick that neither of them felt that could fully breathe.

_Her eyes._ Shawn thought as he gazed into them, _She's not laughing, but they're filled with amusement. If only… No. Recreating that moment a few nights ago is impossible. I don't want to recreate it. I only want to add to it. I need to kiss-_

"Shawn." Juliet's soft voice interrupted Shawn's thought, "We'd better go." She offers him a small smile and heads towards his motorcycle. Good thing she decided on wearing the jeans instead that skirt, or Shawn would have clearly seen her knees wobbling as she walked away.

* * *

The ride to who-knows-where (Shawn wouldn't tell her) was surprisingly blissful for Juliet. The moon was out and it was cool outside with a light breeze. To make things better, she was holding Shawn in her arms. Ok, so she was holding onto Shawn for dear life since he was a fast driver, but she was basking in the moment. _Be careful, O' Hara. You're falling for Shawn. You promised you wouldn't fall for another coworker. Don't let that happen again._

Juliet's smile broke through the wind as they flew down the road. She felt so free. But, curiosity replaced her carefree attitude as they passed various restaurants and other typical 'date-like' location. But then again, Shawn was anything but typical. Soon, they approached the local park. _The park? Our date is at a park? Ooh, maybe it's a picnic! Everything is perfect for one. The sun is setting, and the weather is cool. Not a bad idea._ However, Juliet frowned and became weary as Shawn strode through the park towards the playground. _Oh no. Please no. _As the motorcycle came to a halt, Juliet was in disbelief, "Shawn?"

Kicking the stand of the bike down, Shawn leaned over his shoulder, "Yes, my pet?"

She cleared her throat, as her expectations cleared as well, "Tell me…our date isn't here….at a park."

Carefully getting of his bike, and helping Juliet do the same, Shawn chuckled, "Jules, I think it's great you're acknowledging that this is actually a date."

Juliet shook her head quickly, but this action slowly morphed in a nod, "Fine, Shawn. It's a date. But I was thinking it'd be…" She looked at her surroundings: monkey bars, swings, a seesaw, slides, a multicolored merry-go-round, a red overhead ladder, and a small sandbox, "…not here." Disappointment filled her eyes.

_Oh, crap. This isn't going like I thought,_ "C'mon Jules," Shawn gently rubbed her arm, trying to reassure her, "Just give me a chance, then we'll never have to do this again if you don't want to." Shawn's insecurities began to rise up again like a plague, threatening to consume him. This was not working out. How could he fix this? Shawn could have sworn he saw tears well in Juliet's eyes. _She was really looking forward to this, and you let her down, you screw up. _He sighed, "Just one chance, please." _Oh, great! Now I'm begging. Time to turn on the charm, _"And, if all else fails, you can declare to the _entire_ police department something completely ludicrous about me."

Juliet frowned and nodded cautiously, "And, that would prove what exactly, Shawn?"

Shawn widened his hazel eyes and looked up, "That you were right, and I was wrong. That I'm a terribly immature, womanizing, commitaphobic, childlike-man who has the attention span of a cheeseburger with no hopes of changing." Looking back down at her with insecure eyes, he shot her a slight grin, "I'll even back you up."

Juliet silently gulped as guilt filled her conscious, "Shawn, I would never-"

"I'm a psychic. I know said that to you mom about me." Shawn's face was unreadable. In reality, he walked in on Juliet's phone conversation a couple of weeks ago. It truly stung him. Very few things actually had an affect on him, and this was one that did.

Juliet was unclear how to respond. Feeling ashamed of her previous actions herself, she stuttered."Oh, Sh-Shawn, look I-I did say those things, but I was just having a…bad day. I know that was no excuse but-"

Now, Shawn was laughing, "Jules! Calm down. Trust me, I've been hurled bigger insults than that. In fact, your 'insult' was actually kind of sweet.

Eyes suddenly widening, Juliet gasped, "Shawn, must you have psychic vision of private conversations? Please, don't do that again!" She playfully hit his arm.

Shawn shielded himself from the light blows and smirked, "Hey, my visions are like annoying neighbors. You don't ask them to come over, they just do!"

There was something about the way Shawn smiled at her. Something about the way it made Juliet feel. If she weren't careful, she might let her guard down and actually consider Shawn. _But, aren't I already considering Shawn? _She fought with herself.

Interrupting her train of thought, Shawn reached into a brown tote bag that was hooked onto his motorcycle, and pulled out a black blindfold covered in lace. Grinning at Juliet mischievously, Shawn winked flirtatiously, "Ready to have some fun."

Catching her off guard, Juliet blushed, but attempted to hide her embarrassment with a scoff and a roll of her eyes, "Shawn, I have no idea what you're getting at, but you have twenty minutes. Otherwise, I think I would like to go home."

He shrugged, "Fair enough."

Juliet simply glared at him as if to challenge him. _Intense focus, O'Hara._ _Stare him down, he'll back down. _However, the other side of her brain was working against her logical side. _Do you really want him to back down? Juliet, I know you're a independent woman, but doesn't it feel great to be pursued? _Carefree Juliet-1 point. Logical Juliet-0. _No, O'Hara, you will not be hunted like some animal! Don't let Shawn get any closer, and let him think he can have you whenever he wants!_ Carefree Juliet-1 point. Logical Juliet-1. _Great. A tie._ She had enough. Juliet was sick and tired of guarding her heart. What happened to her in the past is where it should be—in the past. Time to move on. _I have to follow my heart. Not my head._

While Juliet was having a war in her head, Shawn too was fighting a battle. _Her eyes…she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I can't put my finger on what it is about her that's so intoxicating. I feel like I need her…Whoa, where'd those thoughts come from? I don't NEED a woman. I WANT them. I'm certainly not the type of guy to fall in love with my polar opposite. 'Fall in love?' Ok, now where'd THAT come from? Get a grip, Shawn, and play it cool. _

_

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_

**A/N: This isn't my favorite chapter to be honest. I spent the least time on it, so be merciful in the reviews! Hehe But anyway, Shawn is probably a little OOC, I don't know. If so, I'm sorry about that :D I'll do better next time!**

**Next chapter (when I get around to it) "You Can't Touch This"**


	8. You Can't Touch This

**A/N: Hey! I know it's been awhile, but I finally got around to writing this chapter. Thanks to the people who have reviewed this so far! Much love! **

**I'd LOVE to own the show...but they said no :( So I come here! And I don't own MC Hammer either.

* * *

****Chapter Eight: You Can't Touch This**

"Shawn! I am _not_ putting that thing on!" Pointing at the lace blindfold, Juliet failed to assume an annoyed expression. In fact, she was giggling. _I hate you, O'Hara. _

Smirking at his achievement of getting on her good side again, he gently shoved Juliet to the direction of the swings, "Trust me, Jules. You've never real fun until you've worn a blindfold and gotten pushed on the swings. This is some serious top 8 fun action here!"

Combining a chuckle with a sigh, she gave up and shut her eyes. Juliet hated herself again for going along with this. But, something about this man made her want to do things out of her norm. _Be careful, O'Hara._

His grin taking over, Shawn eagerly (and ever-so gently) placed the blindfold across Juliet's face. During, he unnecessarily brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. _So soft and warm. Like silk. _Fighting every single urge and desire in his body, Shawn pulled his hands away from her, and blushed. Yes. _Blushed_. Thankful of Juliet being oblivious to his new bright hue (I mean Shawn _never _blushes), he placed a hand to the small of her back and led her to the swings.

_He's touching me. Oh Crap. He's touching me._ Juliet thought has she walked through a sea of darkness, _He nearly caressed my cheek, and I didn't stop him. _Carefree-Juliet then made her arrival, _That's because you didn't want to stop him. You'd even let him go further. Why is that? It's because you're falling for him. _Logical Juliet disagreed, _No! Don't let him take advantage of you! You know his type: smooth, womanizing, immature…you mean nothing to him. You're just another cute blonde chick to him. _Juliet was starting to feel nervous about whether she should trust where Shawn was actually leading her. Could she actually trust Shawn and go for it? _Just go for it. _

* * *

" Ahh! Oh my gosh, slow down Shawn!" She screamed aloud. 

"I'm going to fast? You want me to stop?" Shawn furrowed his brows in concern.

"No! Please, don't stop. No, just go slower." Juliet breathlessly answered back. Who knew she could scream so much? It was tiring her out, but she'd never experience a high such as this. She didn't want this moment to end. Her heart pounded in anticipation of Shawn's next move. _Here it comes._ Juliet let out another squeal of joy. She couldn't remember the last time someone pushed her on swings before. In addition to being blindfolded, this experience twice as thrilling. Shawn's playfully unpredictable pushing the swing by stopping abruptly and starting again was enough to freak Juliet out. She was loving it. She trusted him enough not to make her fall. She actually _trusted_ him, whether she'd admit this to herself or not.

After more laughs and flirtatious banter, Shawn eased the swing down to a halt, while he still stood behind. Placing his hands on the chain of the swing—inches above where Juliet's hands rested—Shawn leaned his torso to the left of her, he suddenly whispered, "Had enough yet?" It was a simple question. Yes, or no. Simple answer. However, the conversation never advanced to the answer level yet.

They were both lost. Lost in each other's eyes. So lost, they couldn't find the words they wanted to say. So, they just gazed at each other. Lost.

_Kiss her._ Shawn thought. _Easy as that. Lean in. Close eyes. Touch lips. Enjoy. Easy._ But, strangely for Shawn, this experience felt entirely different than his previous romantic encounters. He honestly did not want to ruin anything between him and Juliet by moving to fast. He actually respected her. Right then and there, Shawn admitted to himself something. Something he never thought would happen to him. _I love her. _Despite his reasoning to not rush into things, he felt his body lean towards Juliet's. _No! No, Shawn. Control. It's not time. Not yet. Not…yet…_He was lost again. Her eyes held him captive and refused to let him go. Looking her face up and down in a passionately, he leaned in. Closer. Closer.

Juliet did not resist. Did not _want_ to resist. _But, I need to. I don't care for Shawn like that. I don't…honestly. But, when he's like this….so…sweet…it's like…I'm actually seeing…the real Shawn not many people get to see. He must…trust...me…_Juliet's thoughts trailed off as she found her self reciprocating Shawn's motion. She leaned her head up. _Why am I doing this?_ She stared into his passion-filled hazel eyes once again before she shut her own eyes, anticipating the kiss. She was lost. _Because I want too._

Less than an inch away. They could feel the other's slow and warm on their faces.

Their noses began to graze. The moment. Oh, the moment…

"_**Can't touch this!" **_boisterous rap-pop music filled the air immediately causing Shawn to jump away from Juliet. The sudden jerk Shawn put on the chain of the swing resulted in Juliet flipping over and landing on the seat of her pants.

"_**My—my—my—my music hits me…so hard. Makes me say, 'Oh my Lord...'"**_

Shawn's heart pounded loud enough for him to hear it in his ears. He fumbled around his leather jacket to find the source of the interruption—his ringtone.

Heat rising in her, Juliet lifted herself up off the ground, dusted her backside, then held her head down in embarrassment. _I'm a cop! I deal with harsh issues daily, and I don't crack. I can't let this one guy have this kind of an effect on me! So, why am I? Stupid phone. _She couldn't help but feel frustrated at the interruption. Perhaps all the intrusion was for a reason. Signs telling her 'no.' Maybe she was just being stubborn.

By the time Shawn found his phone, and realized his face was reddening by the second, he looked at the ID. _Dad. Great timing._

"_**You can't touch this!"**_

"Shut up!" Shawn audibly growled and turned his cell off. Stupid phone. Stupid ringtone. Stupid MC Hammer. Stupid Shawn for not turning off his phone. Stupid him for possibly ruining another chance with Juliet. "Stupid." He muttered under his breath.

Somehow, Juliet found the entire ordeal—besides embarrassing—rather cute. She'd never seen Shawn so flustered.

All of a sudden, it hit Shawn. He was too preoccupied with turning off his cell that he didn't realize he caused Juliet to fall down. _Idiot. _"Jules, I-I-I" _Stop stuttering, wimp. _Strange how his inner voice sounded like his dad, "Are you ok?"

She'd _never_ seen Shawn like this. He voice was softer, quieter. Eyes more focused. Less…all-over-the-place when he was around her. _Why do I find that irresistible? _"Yeah, I'm fine Shawn." She offered him a smile. _He seems more ruffled than I am!_ Chuckling, Juliet pointed to him, "How about you? You ok?"

Shawn let out a nervous chuckle, "Other than feeling like I got caught with my hands in the cookie jar—I'm cool." He tilted his head upwards—pretending to look tough.

Juliet wasn't buying it. She winked at him and smirked, "Sure, Shawn. Sure."

Uncomfortable silence followed between the two.

This date was going well.

Before Shawn could think of something to say (Yes, he was at a loss for words), **"Stop! Hammer time!" **emerged from his jeans pocket.

Shawn groaned inwardly

Oh, was his dad going to get it.

* * *

**A/N: I don't hate MC Hammer. I just thought it'd be funny to have that song has Shawn's ringtone. No? Not funny? Oh, ok. Well, I thought it was funny:D Anyway, I don't like the way I wrote some of the parts in here, but I'm sleepy, and I wanted to finish it. Stay tuned for more ichapters in the future. Merry-belated Christmas and Happy New Year! Please review! **


	9. Too Late to Apologize

**A/N:** I'm back! After the longest time struggling with writer's block and schoolwork, I found insprition while brushing my teeth. When it hits you, it hits you, so you'd better drop what you're doing and write! Write like the wind! That's why it's nearly 4am and I'm on here. Thank you one million times over for all those reviews!!! You guys keep me going! Sorry it's a bit on the short side, but I really _really_ hope you guys like it. Ok...here goes...holds breath

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**Chapter Nine—Too Late to Apologize**

"I'm sorry…about all that."

"No, it's ok Shawn. Really."

It was such a crystal clear, beautiful evening in Santa Barbara—a perfect setting for a night on the town. The light breeze caused the leaves to dance, the faint stars in the sky acted as a spotlight for the people below, and the gentle humming sounds of traffic not too far away gave the crickets nearby something to sing along to. Despite the beautiful performance of the night, Shawn Spencer bombed his first (and probably last) date with Juliet O'Hara. After MC Hammer made a surprise guest appearance, Juliet suggested Shawn take her home. She was tired. After that, she'd never seen him so worked up. Shawn apologized for the night profusely as they concluded the evening.

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't know." Juliet darted her eyes to the 'Welcome' floor mat and reached behind her back to grasp the doorknob to her apartment. She had to make a quick exit. This was just too much for her to handle.

Shawn nodded and blinked rapidly, trying to find something to say. Anything, "I know." He tried to recover his crumbling emotion with his signature lopsided smirk.

Juliet must have thought Shawn's smirk was obviously strained, inappropriate use for this moment, or maybe it was gone by unnoticed. Either way, her anxious-to-leave mannerism only intensified.

"Well, it's been a long day. I've got a lot of work to do in the morning."

The doorknob turned.

Rubbing the nape of his neck, Shawn tried miserably again to ease the tension "Yeah, me too. Actually, no, not 'me too.' I usually wake up in the afternoons." He forced a light chuckled, while mentally chastising himself for making one of the dumbest jokes he'd ever conceived.

The doorknob creaked open

"I'll see you around, Shawn."

With that, Juliet much too gently shut the door.

And that was it.

It was over, he was sure.

He stood there for a full minute before heading back towards his bike. Like a brutal attack caught on film, Shawn's mind replayed the last hour over and over again. It was so painful. After a year and a half of flirting, joking, and practically begging for Juliet to go out with him just once, it was all over. All in ruined pieces. Shawn's emotions felt like an aging dam threatening to explode. He was upset, disappointed, confused, and hurt. Speeding down the road on his roaring motorcycling, a new emotion seemed to whip him in the face along with the chilly air. Anger. His dad ruined their date before it had completely started! What had his dad felt was so important enough to interrupt Shawn and Juliet's date? What couldn't wait until tomorrow? Shawn had to set his dad straight. Making an impromptu turn towards his dad's home, Shawn mentally rehearsed the argument he was going to make. This was going to be a long and angry night.

Inside her apartment, Juliet collapsed on the couch, filled with overwhelming feelings she couldn't believe. After all that happened tonight, after Shawn (well, Shawn's dad) screwed everything up, after Shawn couldn't pull off his flirtatious one-liners to make her laugh, Juliet realized something that was her greatest fear. She was falling in love with Shawn Spencer. Something about his behavior when he had failed tonight gave her an insight into who Shawn really was—a side she never really knew. Shawn was an insecure person who was bent on the approval of others. The way he frowned tonight, the way he apologized repeatedly…it was endearing. Beautiful even. Something about witnessing Shawn's flaws created warm feelings inside Juliet. Fuzzy even. But, she can't love him. She shouldn't. Not after what happened back in Miami. Not after Trevor. No matter what happened, she could _not _let herself fall for Shawn.

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**A/N:** Grrr, Henry. What could you possibly want? Once again, I hope you liked it. Please read and review me? They make me want to dance and sing! On another note, I forgot where Juliet was before she came to Santa Barbra? I put 'Miami' because that's what I was thinking...but I'm not entirely sure. If I'm wrong and you correct me, I'll change it and give you a cookie!


	10. Let The Flames Begin

**A/N: **_I have returned! At long last, I have returned!! My writer's block is slowly diminishing. I'm trying to beat the chapters out of me. I've written two already, but this was the chapter than linked them together. I wrote the last half of this a month ago, and the first half this morning. They happened to match up!_

_I must thank my amazing reviewers for being so patient with me! I'm so sorry about the long wait. School writer's block just plain wrong! I really hope you guys like this chapter! crosses fingers_

** Chapter Ten—Let The Flames Begin**

"You've got to be kidding me." Shawn plopped his helmet down on the dining table with a sharp _clack_. After he dropped Juliet off, his dad called again demanding that he come over_. 'An extremely urgent development,'_ as his dad had put it. Shawn had planned on avoided his call altogether, but his father's tone piqued Shawn's curiosity

Upon his arrival, Shawn shook his head in predicted disbelief, and pursed his lips—an attempt to keep foul words from leaving his mouth. The more he might yell, the more Henry would yell. Shawn just wasn't in the mood to endure his father's criticisms. He just wanted to go home. His dad had done enough to Shawn after all.

His eyes began to flash fiery sparks of rage as they traveled the direction of Henry extended index.

Henry wasn't yelling, as Shawn had expected him to. However, his voice was sharp and cold with a hint of bitter on top. "You see this? You see this, Shawn? Do you see the result of another one of your reckless abandonment? Do you see-"

Eyes still on the imaginary object his dad referred to, Shawn ran his fingers through his disheveled locks, "I don't see anything!"

"See that's your problem. _Right_ there, Shawn," Henry's pointing finger found a new subject to further taunt—Shawn, " You're not even paying attention to obvious details because you _choose_ not to see. _Look_ at it, Shawn!"

Groaning inwardly, Shawn reluctantly obeyed. Then he saw it further down the floor, under the table. This was so stupid.

An undulated, yellow puddle of liquid the size a fist was sprawled out on Henry's wooden floor.

Shawn rolled his eyes, still baffled as to why he was still here, "Dad, you called me over here to tell me that you missed the potty? I don't understand it, but I'll buy the adult diapers. Gus will have to do the changing."

"Shawn! This is a pineapple juice puddle...from when you left it here yesterday. I saw it when you left it, waiting for you to take responsibility!"

"You expected me to remember a puddle I left yesterday?"

Narrowing his eyelids, Henry took a step forward, switched the glorious pointing finger for his thumb, and pointed behind him, "I nearly slipped on that mess and broke my back. I'm holding you accountable because I've had enough of your slacking off!" Leaving the room, only to return shortly, Henry threw Shawn a mop and began to storm off.

Irritation, like heat rising up his neck, plagued Shawn as he bit back, "First of all, dad, you _didn't_ fall, so I am _not_ accountable! Secondly, you ruined what could have been the best date ever for me just to call about mopping up a spill!"

Turning back around to retrace his steps, Henry hissed, "This isn't about the spill, Shawn. It's about principle. If you cop out of something as little as a spill, how can you expect to stick with anything serious? Like that '_perfect'_ date of yours."

"It's just a _spill_! Not a life or death situation!" Gripping the mop handle with enough force to surely deprive it of oxygen, had it been a living thing, Shawn accused through clenched teeth, "And where do you get off talking about my date? That's none of your business."

"Oh, come on now, Shawn!" Henry matched, "You won't even go out with whomever the 'moment-woman' is again. If anything, I saved the both of you the extra time."

Voice close to a whine (his dad sure knew how to make him feel like a boy again), Shawn pushed the mop back and forth over the sticky spill, "Dad! It's not even like that."

"Shawn the mop has to be wet first!" Right hand on hip, Henry rubbed his eyes with his free hand, "Go get a bucket of water."

Shawn glared and Henry with judging eyes, "Since when did you become Mr. Clean all of a sudden?"

"It's common knowledge, Shawn. If you're going to do something at all, do it right. Don't crap out half the work!"

"Dad, do you have any idea how disgusting that sounds? Although, not nearly as bad as the graphic images that left me with."

This kid just wouldn't take anything seriously!

Raising his voice another decibel, Henry aimed his finger again towards the back of the house, "Bucket. Water. Now."

Returning moment later with full bucket of water, tail between his legs, Shawn continued to re-mop the now expanded sticky mess.

"Shawn!" His dad sitting at the other end of the table drinking coffee, exclaimed, "You're sloshing it everywhere."

The sound of silent mopping followed.

Two minutes into the silence, Henry sighed, and began to address his son's previous statement, "So, what made this date supposedly so special? Another too-loose-for-words-woman? S'that why you're so mad I interrupted?"

Loosening his grip on the mop, Shawn's eyes averted his father's gaze, "No…Dad. It was with...a friend."

"Ah, so you and Gus finally decided to take it to the next level, huh?" Henry quipped.

"Yes, Dad. Gus and I finally decided to run to the top of the hills for our glorious wedding featuring you as my maid of honor. Get serious, dad."

"Who's the girl?"

"Just…some girl," Shawn continued to mop a nonexistent puddle.

"You mean you actually wore her down enough for to go out with you, huh?"

The mopping ceased, "What?"

"The junior detective you've been attempted to swoon ever since you met her."

"How did you—?"

"I wouldn't exactly call that a date if you bribed her to go out with you."

"I didn't bribe her, per se…"

Setting aside his mug, Henry leaned forward against the table, "Cut the crap Shawn, how serious do you plan on getting with this girl? She'll probably end up being another string of hearts you've broken, or another number in your little black book-"

"Dad, what century are you from? I keep the numbers in my cell."

"I rest my case, Shawn." Henry's hands folded behind his head.

Hands still surrounding the mop, Shawn leaned his head back, and groaned, "Dad! She's different."

"How so, Shawn?"

"She won't give me the time of day. Nothing works on her. I actually have to try."

Standing to full height to head for the sink, Henry, mug in hand, began to rinse, "Shawn, she's not some prize you have to win at the arcade. Just because you can't have something, doesn't mean you should. Besides, with your commitment streak, I can't see you being with the same woman exclusively for more than two months."

Voice low, Shawn hung his head, ""You don't know that."

Finishing his task, Henry stepped to his son, "Oh, I do, Shawn. You can't focus your attention on one woman because you're still immature inside. You have to grow up if you really want her to want you."

"You don't know that," Shawn repeated as his voice dripped with anger and rose with every word. He had enough of this.

"Shawn!" Placing a hand on his hip, Henry only rolled his eyes, seemingly unaffected at his son's irritation, but his voice still carried a cold edge, "I'm serious! You smart mouth your way through life and you do everything with a fraction of effort. You're too lazy to work on things. And once the situation gets sticky enough, you go taking off like a little kid on that deathtrap! You'll never change, Shawn."

Dropping the unused mop down to rest where the puddle had lain before, Shawn closed the gap between him and his father. Nose to nose, he stuck his own finger at Henry, "Thanks so much for having so much faith in me, Dad. You win Father-Of-The-Year once again!" He backed up, wearing a neutral expression, but hurt in his eyes as he slowly applauded his father.

Henry only scoffed, "Oh, don't give me that, Shawn. You know I'm right." Looking at his feet, he sighed and shook his head, "Somewhere along the lines, I failed with you, boy."

Shawn's lip quivered in anger, "_Failed_? I mean, you've said I screw up a lot, but now you're calling me a failure?" Aggression arising in him, Shawn stepped in his father's direction again, the sound of his voice increasing by the sentence, "Well, I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment as a son and a human being, but maybe you should point the finger to yourself. Did you ever think _you _were the one who failed _me_?"

Henry glared angrily at Shawn's eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shawn squinted and glared right back, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Get a grip on reality, Shawn! You can't even handle a little confrontation between us. How the heck will you handle a serious relationship? You're going to break her heart I know it." He turned his back to Shawn. They were getting nowhere.

Shawn clenched his jaw and voiced calmly, "I am not a failure dad. I'm not the one who arrested my own kid. I'm not the one who was too hard on him. I'm not the one who couldn't have one single dinner without fighting with mom in front of me. I'm not even the one who let his son watch my marriage slowly fall apart. So if you want to blame anyone for me turning out the way I did, blame yourself!"

Henry's eyes flashed with anger and guilt.

Shawn swallowed, "I didn't turn out like you. I'm sorry, but I don't consider that to be a failure."

"Shawn, I'm just concern—"

Without waiting for a response, Shawn yanked his helmet off the table and raced out the door towards his bike.

The nerve his father had.

He didn't know Shawn at all.

His father was wrong.

He had to be wrong.

Juliet was different.

She was different.

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_No Shules this chapter :'( The last couple of ones have been dramatic, I suppose. The following ones will be the same most likely. But do not fret! Things will look up soon! _


	11. Admit One Purr Two

_A/N: I just realized this is the first time in three chapters the title isn't a song title! Anyway, thanks again reviewers! You guys make me smile. :) DeanParker gets the credit for the idea of this chapter. It also added another light-hearted tone to this story. So, thanks a milion!_

_

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**Chapter 11--Admit One. Purr Two**

_It meant nothing…we just got caught up in the heat of the moment. It meant nothing… _After pacing to and fro in her dimly lit living room, an urge hit Juliet like an infuriated fist driven by rage, "…_chocolate._ I need chocolate!"

A pair of brown eyes caught hers, offering a hint of disapproval.

Juliet scoffed as she shouted from behind the freezer, "Don't give me that look! I don't need that right now. What I _do _need is this." Lightly shutting the door and returning to the living room with a tub of chocolate fudge ice cream, Juliet plopped onto the sofa.

"Besides, you shouldn't judge me. After that date last night, I'm going to need all the junk I can get." Setting the tub to the side, she reached out her hand, "Come here."

Responding to the beckoning, the grayish cat purred and leaped onto the couch, ready to accept the treatment she was about to receive.

Gently scratching between her cat's ear, Juliet replaced the tub of ice cream back within reached, "If Shawn's dad never called, do you think I would have kissed him?

A light purr from underneath the gently strokes emerged.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Powder. That's terrifies me."

Reaching for the ice cream again with her freehand, Juliet scooped another spoonful into her mouth, "I promised myself after Trevor did what he did to me that I'd never fall for another guy like that. And Shawn sort of reminds me of him. Except, Shawn can be really sweet at times. He's really funny. Surprisingly smart too. I think he's a genius deep down. He's really cute…"

Purr.

"Oh shut up, Powder! I am not flushing."

Continuing with her therapeutic ice cream binge and girl-talk with a cat, Juliet groaned inwardly, "I can't believe I almost let him kiss me."

Her mind drifted off momentarily, imagining 'what ifs.' Feeling her frayed nerves tingle at the thought of Shawn's lips brushing softly against hers, she quickly shook her head to dismiss such thoughts from her mind.

"He's getting too close, Powder. I'm letting him get too close. It was cute before, but now it's going too far. I can't let this happen again."

Gently shoving aside her companion, and placing the tub of ice cream onto the coffee table across from her, Juliet stood to her feet and declared, "I am Detective Juliet Meredith O'Hara. I don't have time for some petty, stereotypical, fairytale romance! My knees aren't going to weaken over a certain handsome face. Not anymore."

Leaning down to pick up a tolerant Powder, Juliet looked at her cat at eye level, "From this day forward, I'm changing!"

As if protesting, a soft meow made its presence known from behind the couch. Rubbing her milky-colored sleek body against Juliet's leg, Romeo vocalized her opinion once more.

"No, Rome. The vote is two against one. I know how you feel about Shawn, _Mrs. Tiddlywinks_, but this is my decision!"

Romeo licked her paw, giving Juliet a glare.

"I know Shawn's not Trevor, but I still can't take that chance."

Still being held up by Juliet, Powder hissed at Romeo as if to back Juliet up.

Romeo leaped up onto the coffee table to have part in this massage treatment, as she purred quietly in anticipation.

Granting Romeo's wish, Juliet extended her hand out, while cradling Powder in the other, "Rome, I know I've been on dates with other men, but they don't count. They don't make me feel..."

Two pairs of eyes met hers.

"...the way Shawn does. I'll admit it. I can't stop thinking about him. I know Shawn can be immature at times, but when he looks at me…those eyes… hazel… intense…"

Breaking Juliet's trance, Powder licked Juliet's nose.

Juliet snapped back to reality, "You're right. It doesn't matter. I have to end this now."

Heading to the kitchen to feed her pets, Juliet could've sworn she saw Powder smirk at Romeo in triumph.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for my lack of knowledge about cats. I'm allergic so I've never really been around any. I didn't know Juliet's middle name, but the first name that popped into my head was 'Meredith.' Lastly, sorry for the small length, but I stress myself out trying to make long ones lol. I hope you guys like it, and thanks for sticking with me!! Review:)_


	12. It Takes More Than A Chalupa

_A/N: Thanks you guys!! You're reviews keep me going! _

**

* * *

Chapter 12-It takes more than a chalupa**

She was avoiding him.

He knew it.

He could feel it.

He could sense it.

At the station, she wouldn't give him a second glance. She simply referred to Shawn as 'Spencer.'. She didn't even pretend to look annoyed after Shawn made a few jokes about Lassiter as his afternoon ritual. She just looked steamed. What's up with that?

Although he would never admit it to a conscious living being, Shawn was hurt. He knew he screwed up big time, but surely it wasn't bad enough to give the man the cold shoulder.

Shawn was running out of ideas on how to get Juliet's attention, until a grumble in his stomach gave him a solution.

A chalupa.

Who could resist a free chalupa?

Strutting to Juliet's desk with feigned confidence and a crooked smile that betrayed his heart, Shawn placed the bag of Mexican food in front of the computer screen Juliet had been intensely staring at.

"What's this?" Juliet grumbled, her gaze not leaving the screen.

Confidence shrinking by the second, Shawn attempted to recover, "Jules, although I think some cops are heartless prudes with empty hearts, they still have stomachs that need filling!" He picked up the bag once more to wave it on front her of face, the smell of the food dancing around each of their noses.

Juliet's eyes darted to him this time and flashed with fire and ice, "Did you just call me a heartless prude?" Her voice, still in the same decibel as before, held a bitterly sharp edge.

That's when Shawn caught his error and cringed.

_What an idiot._

He was still furious with his dad, a former cop, and hadn't spoken with him sense that fight. He hadn't even correlated Juliet being a cop with his remark.

_Idiot. That's what happens when you speak before you think._

His dad wasn't even there and he ruined everything. Shawn began to stutter, "N-no! No. I didn't mean it like that. I-I was referring to…s-someone else. J-Jules, I would nev-"

"Cut the crap, Shawn." She stood to her full height to glare at the stuttering man before her, "And what is it about you bagging on Carlton so much, huh?"

"What? _Lassie_?" Now Shawn was hurt, embarrassed, _and _confused. What a mix.

"Yeah, back in chief's office today? You made that inappropriate joke about him? Remember?"

"Jules, for the record, I _always _make inappropriate jokes about Lassie."

"He is my partner. This_—_" Juliet waved her arms around the room for emphasis, drawing attention from the other officers, "—is where I _work_, Shawn. This is my profession. You can't just waltz in here day to day uninvited-"

"I was invited today..." Shawn voice trailed off, but his eyes were trained on her fiery filled ones. He treaded carefully, "And this is my job too, Jules."

Juliet let out an exasperated sigh, and shoved passed Shawn.

He was crumbling. He was losing. What went wrong? _Again? _

His smirk a thing of the past, Shawn's frown was growing deep, "Jules...wait!"

"What?" Turning to face Shawn again, Juliet folded her arms and scowled.

Taking deliberate cautious steps towards her, Shawn spoke barely above a whisper, "Jules, I-"

"Don't," She pointed a rigid finger at him, "call me that. At work, I am _Detective O 'Hara_." She turned away again before calling over her shoulder, "You just have no respect-"

"No respect? Jul-Juliet…what's gotten into you?"

"Just...go away, Shawn." Juliet's eyes grew hazy as she turned her head away from Shawn. She whispered, "Please go away."

Shawn was left watching her black heels click across the wooden floor heading to the back of the station.

Crap. That really hurt. Badly.

What hurt worse was the sympathetic glances mixed with, "Ooh he got served!" comments from his colleagues.

Strike two.

He screwed up yet again.

His dad was right.

No. He couldn't let his dad be right about this. His dad wouldn't get the last word this time.

Although his ability to talk was overthrown by this unfamiliar feeling of rejection, he felt an even more unfamiliar feeling of desire to confront Juliet.

He wasn't used to this, seeing as how he rarely confronted others about problems. If he and Gus fought, a free milkshake usually cured the bond between them. When he and his dad fought, not counted the last bloody duel, Shawn would just leave until he needed assistance with a case, previous emotions ignored. He had never before fought with Juliet. If he planned on getting to know her better, he had to know how to perform a quick fix between the two.

He had to know.

He had to prove his dad wrong.

Mentally chastising himself for not kissing Juliet when he had the perfect opportunity, Shawn pursed his lips and headed towards the back of the station to find his target—the woman he couldn't help but fall in love with. He was going to find his answer about how she felt about him right then and there.

o0o0o0o0o

He was dying.

He knew it.

The pain was too much to bear.

Running late that morning had caused him to forget his most dire of needs: breakfast.

Now around noon, Buzz Mcnabb just knew his stomach was trying to digest itself. He was headed to the coffee pot, when a sensational smell seduced his nose. Turning towards the direction of the scent, he spotted on O 'Hara's desk the source of the teasing.

A chalupa.

Remembering O 'Hara's earlier rejection of the meal, Buzz grinned to himself.

After all, who could resist a free chalupa?

* * *

_A/N: THE END! jk! I'm far from it! Which is good considering Shawn and Juliet can't seem to get their acts together! Don't be mad at Juliet at her moodiness! She's just been listening to bad advice coughPowdercough. You didn't think I was going to make it easy for Shawn did you? Nooo that boy has to work if he wants Juliet! Thanks for sticking with me everyone. Your reviews really mean a lot. :)_

_As for Buzz, it had nothing to do with the plot. But Buzz begged me to let him have a part. And I thought you guys would like to know what happened to that delicious chalupa lol_


	13. Fin

_A/N: Seeing as how this is an unfortunately short chapter, I shall update another tomorrow! Thanks you guys for reading. Means a lot :)_

* * *

**Chapter 13--Fin**

He remembered the sound of her heels clicking was in the direction to the right towards the back of the station. Following that trail, several doors lined the right wall. It didn't take long for Shawn to figure out which door Juliet was hiding behind.

The Women's restroom?

No. He could hear the chattering of women behind the doors. He doubted Juliet would head into a crowed room if she were upset. She'd want privacy.

The locker rooms.

No. She always brought minimal necessities with her to work: purse, cell phone, badge, gun.

Ruling out other possible rooms with this method, Shawn found the door.

The storage closet.

Besides the obvious fact that the blinds swung slightly as if the door was recently shut, he could smell the hint of perfume she wore.

_Thanks, Gus for the sniffer-tips._

He gently knocked.

o0o0o0o0o0o

She didn't want to treat Shawn like that. After all, he was being really sweet. His effort to woo her with a delicious smelling chalupa was lost on her bitter attempts to keep him away. She had to give the man credit. He didn't give up.

The look on his face, usually so carefree, so amused and unaffected by the strains of life, was strewn with hurt. It tore her inside to treat him that way, but she felt had no choice. Juliet had to keep him at bay, if only to protect her heart. She just couldn't deal with another man in her life.

...the kind of man she would involuntarily give her heart too.

Hidden in the comforts of the storage closet, Juliet let the tears fall.

She'd tried too hard at distancing herself from Shawn. She was sure she'd lost a very good friend. He didn't deserve that, but she didn't deserve any more pain either. She knew she was being selfish. She knew she was prejudging him. But she didn't care. What happened in the past still hurt her too much.

Hearing the door creak open. Juliet grew flushed as she tried to dab the tears staining her face.

"_O' Hara_?"

She heard the ice in his voice. Who could blame him? She had humiliated him in front of the entire precinct.

Back turned against him, Juliet cleared her throat, voice weak and trembling, "Shawn, you don't have to call me that. I'm sorry. I was upset."

He scoffed. She was pretty sure he rolled his eyes too, "No kidding."

"I'm sorry…"

"Jules..." Pleading in his voice.

His desperation was the reason for her turning around to face him. She couldn't keep it from him any longer.

"Just tell me what I did wrong." He was close to a whine

"Shawn..."

He stepped closer and grazed her arm with his hand, "No. I want to know."

He looked so uncertain. Insecure. Concerned. All of these emotions were a wrecking ball, knocking the truth out of Juliet.

"We wouldn't work out, Shawn." She blurted, "We're complete opposites." Juliet looked away from him to focus on a steel shelf and repeated, "It wouldn't work out. I'm just saving us both the heartache."

A puzzled expression crossed Shawn face as he shrugged his shoulders, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. He didn't enjoy talking about personal issues, but for her, he'd make an exception, "We're not that different. Besides," A slight grin of desperation was plastered on his face, "you know the saying that opposites attra-"

"No." Juliet nervously fiddled with the hem of her blouse, avoiding his gaze again. She just couldn't look at him, "I'm sorry, Shawn. Please, just…no. It's not…going to happen. So, just please... stop asking. Please stop..." It took all of her will power to meet his clouded eyes.

Shawn swallowed and hesitantly nodded. Eyes still on hers, "Ok."

And that was it.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending of the chapter. No, that is not the end of the story yet! I had a really long chapter that needed to be broken up because the second half didn't really fit the tone.__ Don't give up on Shawn and Juliet yet! This fight is about to get messier! The following chapter was one of my favorites to write. I'm sad to report I have about five or so more chapters until this little story wraps up :( Thanks you guys for reading! Reviews really encourage me!!_


	14. Love Is A Battlefield

_A/N: Wow I wasn't expected that much of a responce from the last chapter! Thanks you guys!!! For that, I give you another chapter...which is conicidentally another song title lol. I really hope you guys like it :)_

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* * *

Chapter 14—Love is a battlefield.**

Another day.

Another week.

Another case.

Another arrest.

Another two months had passed since Shawn made his promise to Juliet. He never made another move. No flirting. No special smiles just for her. They were pals. They were buddies.

And Shawn was sickened by it all.

He couldn't erase the memory of his hand cradling Juliet's, or the way she smiled at him, or how soft her top lip was. He couldn't shake it even if he tried. He'd only agreed to stop pursuing her to make her happy, and it was driving him insane. Shawn only agreed to her arrangement because of the hurt look she wore on her face. The hurt he surely put there. He never wanted to see that look again. So he had no choice but to agree. It was such a bargain with either choice, both resulting in one being unhappy. So Shawn took the unhappiness for himself. Call him selfish.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

She'd thought it would be awkward. She'd thought he would break his promise. She'd thought she'd cave in.

It wasn't. He didn't. She couldn't.

What she didn't think about was how much it would hurt.

The brief looks Juliet and Shawn shared broke her heart more than anything because she saw something in his eyes. He was crushed. This forced distance between the two was tearing him apart just as much. In spite of all this, the two still were able to maintain a sense of normalcy. They still teased each other. Worked well together. But that was the extent of it.

Juliet's adrenaline quickened as her partner sped across the highway, perfectly dodging each vehicle that got in his way.

Less than half an hour earlier, Shawn had confirmed their beliefs about a serial killer with the alias '_The Lady Killer'_. They had come up with the _what_—dozens of young females were reported missing before their bodies were found in various unrelated locations. The _when—o_ver the past couple of weeks with one murder every other day. The _how—_stabbing the each of the victims over one hundred and fifty times. Shawn had provided the _why—_killer grew in an predominate female environment and was physically and sexually abused as a kid. No positive influence. Shawn also provided the _who—_Robert Wayne Hunt. As for the _where,_ Shawn's tap-dance routine finished off with a plié and pirouete gave them the lead they all needed to close this case.

Now they were on pursuit. According to The Lady Killer's trend, they had to stop the next crime ASAP. Time was running out.

"Are you _sure_ you won't give me a gun? I won't shoot anyone! I just want to look intimidatingand yell _'freeze sucker!_'"

"Pipe down, Spencer!" Lassiter yelled over his shoulder and gritted his teeth, "Why is he here O'Hara?"

"Shawn, you're not getting a gun! Besides, I don't think anyone will have trouble _not_ finding you intimidating. You mousse your hair!"

Lassiter growled at Juliet, "And why is the other slightly less irritating one here too? Couldn't they ride with someone else?"

"For the love of Bob Saget, Gus, shut it. My hair is perfect. Evil crumbles under the cosmic proportions of its magnificence." Shawn defended while self-consciously patting his hair.

Juliet held back a grin, "Just drive, Carlton."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Get back!"

"Put your weapon down!"

"Don't even think about it!"

"Put your gun down and your hands above your head!"

"Freeze sucker!"

The line of officers barked at the reason behind one of the biggest murders Santa Barbara had seen in years.

Shawn offered the 'freeze sucker' line hiding behind a cop car, several feet away from the madness with Gus trembling and whimpering next to him.

Smacking his friend, Shawn whispered in harshly, "Come on, Gus. Dude up!"

Robert Wayne Hunt grinned evilly at the officers, mentally plotting each and every one of their deaths, while yelling a string of obscenities at the officers. One officer in particular held his interest.

No one thought it would get this intense.

Barging into all areas of an old construction site, they had found their perp in a six-foot ditch, stowing away his latest victim. This confrontation grew dangerous as Robert Wayne Hunt pulled out a gun, aiming it at the officers.

"That's it. We've gotta take him down." Lassiter muttered under his breath.

The abandoned desert-like area only added to the heat of the moment.

"Not yet, Carlton. He's cracking." Juliet warned.

Rolling his eyes, Carlton yelled, "We're not backing down, punk! So you'd better come to grips and PUT THE WEAPON DOWN NOW!!!"

Not even a flinch.

"Dude that guy is rock solid!" Shawn whispered, taking a glance at a certain junior detective garbed in sunglasses and a bulletproof vest. She was incredible.

"Shh!" Gus hiss.

"No you 'shh!"

Shawn began to blink nervously. Why was he so nervous? Never one to actually pray, Shawn offered a brief one that he truly meant. Why was he so nervous?

Now he knew why.

He saw Hunt's eye twitch.

Shawn knew that twitch.

Surely the other cops saw it too.

Didn't they?

"Shawn, what's wrong?" Gus worriedly looked his friend up and down.

Shawn watched in fear as Hunt's grip tightened around his gun.

Trailing where Hunt's eyes and gun had aimed, Shawn knew why he had prayed.

Juliet was in the line of fire.

Index finger clenching ever so lightly, Hunt's gun exploded.

"NOOOOOO!!"

Lassiter was the first to fire back. Several shots followed before an eerie calm washed over the area.

Dust had risen like cloud all around them.

The officers held their positions until the dust settled.

To their utter horror, two body's blanketed with crimson blood lay motionless.

One was the body of Robert Wayne Hunt.

The other lifeless body was where Juliet had stood.

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry!! But I had to have at least one cliffhanger! I really appreciate every one of your thoughts just so you know. Once again, I really hope you all like it. There's still more story to tell!_


	15. After The Dust Clears

_A/N: You guys are the reason I'm keeping this going! I want to thank each and everyone! And I apologize for the cliffhanger. I promise to never do it again. (psych) lol. _

* * *

**Chapter 15—After the dust clears**

How could this happen?

How could someone do such a thing to another human being?

Why did he do that?

That should have been her body lying in the dirt covered in blood.

He had come out of nowhere.

_Behind the car._

He must have leaped out from behind the car.

_He knew the bullet was aimed towards me._

_He was trying to save me…_

And now, Shawn Spencer's body lay where Juliet's would have/should have been.

Time seemed to stand still.

Everything moved in slow motion.

Gus sprinted to the aid of his friend, not fighting the tears that threatened to fall, "Shawn. You idiot," was all he could muster.

Lassiter growled at the frozen officers, "What's your problem? Call an ambulance. We've got two men down! Spencer probably doesn't have much time."

All of this was a blur to Juliet. It was as if someone had pressed '_pause'_ and the still image was Shawn lifeless body.

She couldn't change the channel.

She couldn't stop staring.

She couldn't move.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

'_The one that will be leaving us tonight is due to the fact that she did not believe in herself. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect anyone else to? So the girl that gets another opportunity to prove herself…is…'_

The phone blared.

Oh just great.

Henry grumbled as he hoisted himself off the couch and headed for the kitchen phone. He'd already miss a few episodes this season of _America's Next Top Model_, so he did _not _want to miss this one. However, his phone had other plans. _They'd better kick Tanya off. That kid's a real nut job. _

"Yeah, hello…Gus…slow dow—WHAT? He was _shot? _Where are you?" Slamming the phone down after receiving the vital information, Henry grabbed his cap and barged out the door for his truck.

That kid better not die.

He promised him.

Pressing the gas pedal as much as his personal safety allowed, fear washed over him. _If he dies, I'll kill him_.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She hated hospitals. It reeked of death. It reminded her of deceased Granna, her childhood friend who died of cancer, and her first kitten who passed away in an animal hospital.

They'd all been waiting for over an hour

Leaning against the far wall of the waiting room, Juliet numbly watched Shawn's father pace, Gus on the phone with a family member with a trembling voice, and Lassiter fidget with his phone. He had suggested that he leave, considering he and Shawn weren't the closest of friends, but Juliet insisted—no—_forced _Lassiter to come with her.

She couldn't take it. The images of Shawn lying in his blood, Gus on the verge of breaking down, and Mr. Spencer's consistent frowning was enough to feel like a pair of hands strangling her. She couldn't breath.

Air.

She needed air.

Casually excusing herself for some coffee, Juliet found her way to the outside of the hospital. It was there when she broke down. Her knees gave way as they roughly connected with the concrete. She didn't care about the pain. The pain in her knees was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her heart. Leaning her head on the seat of a nearby bench, she cried.

Why didn't she kiss him when she had the chance?

She had so many chances.

Now it was over.

Juliet pounded her fist against the bench repeatedly until her hand grew numb and began to tingle.

She was beating down old memories of Trevor. She was beating down Shawn for taking that bullet. She was beating herself down for not taking that chance with him.

Why hadn't the doctors said anything yet?

If Shawn made it through this, she'd tell him everything.

She'd tell him how she really fel—

"Juliet?"

Abruptly turning around, she saw Gus' eyes filled with concern. Suddenly growing embarrassed at her outrageous behavior and now swollen red hand, she stumbled to her feet.

Sadness erased from his eyes, a smile of relief spread over Gus' face, "Shawn's going to be fine."

Juliet screamed with joy as she ran up to embrace her friend.

Accepting the embrace, Gus chuckled, "You didn't think a little thing like a bullet could keep Shawn down, did you?"

Separated herself from Gus, Juliet sighed in liberation, "I guess there's a lot about Shawn I have to get to know."

* * *

_A/N: The last few sentences were a little 'eh,' but yay Juliet has finally come to her senses! I think we have three more chapters and an epilogue left:'( IThanks again you all:)_


	16. Two of Hearts

_A/N: For being so great to me, I present to you a longer chapter! You guys have caught up to me. I wrote these past few chapters fairly quickly, now I ran out of material so I must write like the wind to finish up. Updates will be slower :( If it weren't for an upcoming exam, this story would have been completed already. Thanks for sticking with me again! Without further ado..._**

* * *

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**Chapter 16--Two of Hearts**

She couldn't bring herself to see him.

Not yet.

Not in front of everyone.

So she waited until she was sure Shawn's hospital room was without guest.

Pausing momentarily at the front of the door, Juliet lifted a balled fist.

Before her hand could connect with periwinkle blue door, "It's open, Jules." Was heard on the other side.

_How does he do that? Oh, that's right, _She thought before entering.

"Oh good you're here! I was getting bored." Lounging in an uncomfortable appearing bed, Shawn reached to the nightstand on his right, picked up a deck of cards, and sat on the edge of the bed, letting his feet dangle, "You and me. Go Fish. Best two out of three?"

Juliet scoffed in amusement. She hadn't been inside half of a minute and he had already made her smile.

Holding back a laugh at the sight of Shawn, wearing the required hospital gown over his personal choice of distressed jeans, she pulled up a chair to sit across from him.

Might as well.

Despite being nearly killed, he still looked good.

Really good.

The bullet had found a home his left shoulder that was sure to leave a scar and give Shawn an amazing story to tell—or to brag about.

She shamefully ducked her head when he caught her staring at him.

"Wanna take a peek at my wound?" Shawn winked smugly as he lifted his sleeve.

Suggestive tone aside, Juliet thought it was adorable how still, after being shot, Shawn was still Shawn. She grinned, "Maybe later."

His face grew serious, but the emotion in his eyes was nothing but playful, "Is that a promise?"

"It's a guarantee." She teased back.

Or was that flirting?

Either way, Shawn lifted both eyebrows in slight shock at her response, a minor grin forming on the corners of his lips.

Laughing, Juliet swatted his leg, "Just deal the deck, Shawn."

Yeah.

They were flirting.

_I should get shot more often_, Shawn thought as his dealt out the cards.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They played a variety of card games in silence for the next half hour.

Juliet kicked his butt at all of them.

Shawn found that wildly attractive about her as he cut her no slack, but she still proved to be the better card player. He'd involuntarily never lost before until then.

She was incredible.

Dealing out another set, Juliet's hands began to unexpectedly tremble. All of the emotion and guilt she carried for what happen to Shawn was beginning to spill over. She couldn't hide it from him any longer.

Without meeting her eyes, Shawn tossed his handful of cards to the side as he took her hands in his to steady them as he stroked them softly.

She swallowed, trying not to think about how his simple touch affected her, "I thought…we'd lost you there." Nearly slipping on her choice of words, she placed an emphasis on _'we'd'_

He continued to stare intently at her hands as he smiled slightly, not participating in the conversation.

She took his cue as they sat in comfortable silence, her hands still being comforted.

She was forcing it.

She was being cold again.

No.

Not again.

Juliet was determined to demolish the impenetrable wall she had put up years ago.

_You'll be vulnerable again_.

Juliet frowned, _No. My heart was vulnerable the day Shawn took a step back away from kissing me. Most guys wouldn't have done that. Shawn is not like most guys. He's not Trevor. It's time I took my shot._

"I thought..." Juliet's looked away, already flushing at the heartfelt confession she was about to make, "I thought…_I _was going to loose you."

At that, Shawn's eyes immediately captured hers; melting away the remainder of the wall she had torn down.

This was too much.

How could he do that to her with only one look in her eyes?

Breaking contact, she felt heat rising from her neck.

Certainly he saw the reddening of her face.

Pulling away from his grasp, Juliet slowly walked to the full size window overlooking the streets below and the orange glow of the evening sky.

She needed room to breathe.

But this time, she wasn't going to back down.

Her heart was still open for the taking, granted the right man came along.

She felt his presence next to her, as Shawn looked the window up and down, trying to think of something to say.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

What was he supposed to say?

"Jules, I think I'm in love with you?"

Or, "I'm not sure I know what love is, but I'm willing to try it out with you?"

He risked his life for this woman, and he couldn't think of a single response.

One of his greatest fears was taking a relationship too fast, which is why he had never been in a serious relationship in his life. He had been let down too many times in the past to allow himself to bare his heart and soul to only have it ripped away.

He was afraid of getting hurt, which is why he only went out with less than ideal women.

He'd see a pretty face; get to know her briefly before breaking it off the next morning, claiming he wasn't the one for them.

This is where Juliet differed.

She wouldn't let him get close enough to even get to know her.

None of his old tricks worked.

Neither did his new tricks.

It took two years for Shawn to have one date with her, which ended in disastrous results.

That's when he felt it.

That's when he believed his felt himself fall in love with her.

After Juliet ended any possibilities between them a few months ago, Shawn had understood true heartache.

Besides the default requirements of Gus' friendship and the obvious pineapple, Shawn only needed a few things to get by: food, water, and his motorcycle.

He added a fourth to his list two months ago after several sleepless nights.

No, make that first on his list.

Juliet.

The sound of her name alone was more than enough to put a lopsided smile on his face and a skip in his heart.

But he couldn't be with her.

She would never be with him once she knew the truth.

As much as it will kill him, it would destroy him even more if he kept living a lie to her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

What was she supposed to say?

"My hero!"

Or, "Put me on your white horse and whisk me away to lands of peppermint candy kisses?"

He had saved her life, and she couldn't think of a single response.

The last time she gave her heart to someone, he had stabbed it, shot it, gutted it, stretched it until it snapped, put it in a blender, then fed the remnants to his dog.

However, her heart decided long ago that it was time to go forward.

If things didn't work out with her and Shawn, she'd learn from her mistakes and move on again.

But she had to give him a try.

Juliet shuffled her feet, feeling the strain of standing for twenty straight silent minutes.

"Why did you do it?"

Apparently breaking his train of thought, Shawn abruptly turned to face her.

"Why did you take the bullet for me?"

Expression nothing but serious, he shrugged and stated the facts, "Well a few months ago when I took you out on a date, you nearly kissed me. So I thought to myself what would you do if I actually took a bullet for you?" He broke into a knowing smile, eyes filled with innocence.

He did it to her again.

She began to laugh.

Oh how he loved to make her laugh.

Playfully swatting his good arm, Juliet grew serious as her eyes traveled up and down his face.

"I had a vest on!"

"The gun was aimed for your face, Jules. That's why it hit my shoulder. I don't know how you feel, but I like your face the way it is."

Darn.

He made her flush again.

Only this time, she didn't even try to conceal it, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Without missing a beat, she grasped Shawn's hand, lifted herself to the balls of her feet, and placed her lips onto his unshaven cheek.

Neither of them made a move to break away.

They only close their eyes.

Cheek still connected a soft set of lips, Shawn freed his hand to place it on the small of her back.

His heart was pounding, and this was only a kiss on the cheek.

Oh how he loved the way she did the simplest things that make him crazy!

She slowly pulled back a few inches.

Juliet could feel his warm breath again.

He had been eating pineapple again.

She was beginning to have a fondness for pineapple now.

_Note to self: pick up a pineapple on the way to the grocery store._

Their eyes traveled rapidly over the sight of each other before settle on their lips.

"I can't."

* * *

_A/N:_ (Runs away from firey darts)_ I know I'm evil with another semi-cliffie. Well they sort of kissed...though it was on the cheek. These two just stall and stall. If that were me, I'd have kissed him during the close-talking encounter already hahaha. Anyway, I really hope you guys like it. Really. Tell me what you thought and review?_


	17. For A Liar I’m Pretty Honest

"I can't kiss you." 

Astonishment and disbelief raining inside her, Juliet backed her head away, "What?"

Blinking rapidly, Shawn removed his hand from her back and distanced himself a foot, head slumped, "If I kiss you, I know…I might...might..."

"Might _what_?" Anger surged through her blood. After two years of pursuit, one official date, and a bullet, he was going to regress just like that?

Gently rubbing his injured arm, he averted his gaze and swallowed, "I might fall in love with you."

"Oh." Now it was her turn to turn her eyes away from him as she softly replied, voice filled with hurt," What would be wrong with that?"

Realizing yet another grammatical error of his, Shawn lessened the gap between then, "No, Jules...no I didn't mean it that way. I—I can't say _'I love you'_ one minute while telling you a lie the next."

Juliet lifted her head to give him her full attention.

"Jules..." He braced himself, "I'm not really a psychic."

Fresh silence blanketed the hospital room until the sound of rubber sneakers alerted its presence, "Visiting hours are over," a nurse wearing oversized scrubs recited mundanely.

Gently clutching Shawn's useful limb, Juliet shook her head and bitterly replied, "No not yet. He has to explain himself."

Eyes darting from the nurse to Juliet, he slowly nodded his head in surrender. The nurse had shut the door behind her and stood firm. She obviously was not planning on leaving any time soon.

"Please, Miss," Juliet begged, "Just another two minutes."

The older woman folded her arms in defiance, "No can do. I gave you the extra minutes after I saw you two just standing by the window not saying a word." She leaned forward and placed an emphasis on each word, "Time is up. And you, Mr. Spencer, need to lie down before you make your injury worse. I'm not going to tell you twice."

Not wanted to tempt the angry woman, Shawn removed Juliet's hand from his arm and mouthed, "I'm sorry, Jules."

Head down, she backed away and exited the room without acknowledging him. However she did give the nurse a deathly glare. The nurse had turned her head away by then, of course. Juliet wasn't crazy.

Strike three.

He had struck out.

He couldn't believe it!

This time, he had no one to blame but himself.

It wasn't his dad's fault. It wasn't the chalupa's.

It was his.

The following week of Shawn's stay at the hospital, Juliet hadn't visited again.

He couldn't blame her.

He had called her numerous times, but she hadn't answered or returned his calls.

He didn't blame her.

She probably thought he was leading her on this entire time.

He wouldn't blame her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Dude you need to up out of my house. I'm not going to clean up after you like some dumb maid, Shawn!" Gus grumbled as he straightened his blue and violet striped tie and simultaneously drank his orange juice though a bendy straw.

"And you need to grow up, Gus." Sitting at his friend's dining table, mooching off his food, Shawn removed his eyes from a crime scene photo he had received upon his returning from the hospital last weekend, "Everyone know that bendy straws are for mama boys, man-babies, and grown men who can't get a date."

"Psh, I still get mine."

Shawn scoffed and mumbled, "If by 'mine' you mean 'rejected,' then yeah. You still get yours."

Rolling his eyes, Gus finished the remainder of his beverage, "Whatever Shawn. At least I'm not the one who's hiding from a puppy crush because I'm a little wussy cat!"

"I am not hiding! And what is it with you with the overuse of domesticated animal references?" Bowing his head down, Shawn inaudibly mumbled, "And it's not a puppy crush."

"You are too hiding! At the station you tried to jump into a wastebasket because you saw Juliet coming your way!"

Shawn pouted, "I did not! I tried to _leap_ into the wastebasket. And it wasn't my fault I couldn't fit!"

"Whatever Shawn. I'm off to work." Grabbing his sample case, Gus call over his shoulder after leaving the room, "By the way, Juliet is expecting you to come over to her place after work."

Shawn nearly jumped at the sound of her name again, "What? How do you know?"

Smoothing his shaven head, Gus smirked, "They don't call me Patch-Worker Burton for nothing. Don't say I never did anything for you."

Breaking into a full on grin, Shawn shouted out, "First of all, _nobody _calls you that! Secondly, that's a really stupid na—"

His friend was out the door.

Shawn would have to thank Gus for this one day. A marathon of Indiana Jones and a box of pizza might do the trick

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

The next few moments would either to make or break Shawn.

There he stood, for a full five minutes in front of Juliet's apartment door.

That door.

That was all that stood between him and a future he never could envision in his wildest of dreams. He was about to take on of the biggest leaps he had ever taken in his life. He was diving in. No parachute. No safety net. He never felt so compelled to put his life on the line such as this. Of course, there was the bullet incident, but that was merely physical. He could heal. This, however, was an emotional dive, which was entirely new for him. Vulnerability was not his strong point, but he simply didn't care anymore. Time to lay it on the line.

Taking a deep breath, Shawn lifted his right hand and cautiously knocked on the mahogany door.

After a moment, it hesitantly opened, revealing a well-put together Juliet. Her face wasn't tear stained; she wore jeans and a top that fitted her like a dream; and her hair bounced like golden waves.

_She obviously hasn't been too broken up about my confession_, he thought has he stepped slightly forward, "Hey, Jules."

"What do you need, Shawn?" She didn't bark, or shout. She only nonchalantly nodded at his presence.

Before he could respond, a small cat trotted up to Juliet and rested behind her left leg, and hissed at Shawn.

Not acknowledging the cat's behavior, Juliet continued to wear the face that said, "What do you want?"

Shawn shrugged, trying not to stare at the cat below who apparently was plotting his death at this very moment. Who knew cats could be so frightening? "Jules I need to explain myself." Not even giving her a chance to respond in case she decided to slap or shoot him, Shawn spilled over his words in one continuous motion, only stopping for breath, "Jules, never intended to lie to you. In fact, I had already told the lie about me being a psychic not long before I met you. I only did it because Lassie wouldn't get off my case and was threatening to arrest me. I had to come up with something,"

Juliet's expression softened with every word Shawn spoke, but eyes still blazing.

"You know I have a case of Foot-In-Mouth disease, so saying I was psychic was the best I could come up with. I only have a keen sense of observation, but that doesn't sound nearly as cool as 'psychic.' I thought that'd be the end of it, but I didn't expect Chief to ask me for help on a case using my abilities." He took another breath, "I didn't expect her to hold me to my word. One thing led to another. It was supposed to be a one-time thing." Pausing, he looked to his feet and ran a hand through his hair, "And then I met you."

All hints of anger inside Juliet disintegrated at the sound of Shawn's desperation and the intensity of his gaze as he fixed them on her eyes.

"I had to keep up with the lie or else I'd get arrested. Since you never showed interest in me, I thought keeping up with the charade would be cake, until I started to fall in lo—"

"Shawn!"

Panting, Shawn gulped to await his grim future. He was going to get it.

She put her hand on his cheek and spoke softly, barely above a whisper, and repeated, "Shawn…I knew."

There it went again. His heart was pitter-pattering nearly out of his chest.

_Thump thump_

_Thwack!_

She had slapped him!

Albeit, it was barely a slap, but she had swatted the cheek she had cradle a fraction of a second ago.

Cupping his face, Shawn grimaced, "What was that for?"

"For not telling me!" She pointed a finger at him, "Don't _ever_ lie to me like that, Shawn."

"Jules." He whispered as he removed his hand from his face to tip her chin, "I'm so sorry."

She softly caressed his cheek, "Me too. But, I don't know if I can trust you."

"I don't mind earning it."

He did it again.

His hazel eyes' gaze intensified, making her weak.

"The psychic thing was fake, but everything else was me. How did you know?"

"You're not the only observant one, you know." She winked, "What? You thought this—" she feigned a gasp, eyes wide, "—was real? C'mon, Shawn. You're not the only one who can put on a show."

A lopsided grin formed on his lips, "And why didn't you tell me?"

"And ruin the fun? Nah. Besides, you look kind of cute flopping around like a fish."

Face feeling hot, Shawn gently grazed his thumb over her chin.

_Hiss_

Eyes not leaving Shawn's, Juliet sighed, "No, be nice, Powder."

Powder nuzzled her head on Juliet's leg.

It took all of her will power to turn from Shawn and pick up her companion. What was with that cat anyhow? "He's harmless, Powder."

Reaching out his hand to pet the feline, only to have a strong hiss response in return, Shawn quickly backed away and nervously chuckled, "Guess she doesn't like me too much."

At that, Romeo appeared, showing her enthusiasm for the guest by snuggling up against him.

"Mrs. Tiddlywinks! You've been on my mind for ages," Lifting her up to his height, he softly massaged her fur.

There, Shawn and Juliet stood in the doorway, cat in each hand.

He offered a crooked grin, "At least one likes me. The other…" His voice trailed off as the cat in Juliet's grasp offered another sharp hiss.

"Don't worry. She won't sway my vote."

Juliet took a step forward, the step she had been purposefully avoiding for years, with no regret or hesitation.

He mirrored her motions by leaning in forward, and dipping his head towards hers.

Their lips were, once again, a fraction away from each other. Hot breaths could be felt on either's face.

Eyes naturally shutting to take in the moment, Shawn closed the gap as his lips cradled Juliet's like a puzzle.

His heart pounded, and he thought for sure he was going to die of cardiac arrest. Could she feel his heart beating through his chest? It was as if she took his breath away, and left him wanted more.

Blood rushed to his face in a flush as they slowly, and hesitantly separated while allowing their noses to graze.

Face the shade of scarlet, Juliet sheepishly smiled, nose still brushing against Shawn's, "So what are we going to do about this? About us?"

Eyes lazily drooping, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"What does this make us?"

"Jules, I don't care about labels. I just know I want to be with you." His voice was sultry and barely above a whisper.

"I'm not sure Powder is ready for me to be in a relationship." She pointed with her eyes to her cat below, and teased, "She probably doesn't want us to take things too fast."

He smiled against her lips, "Well I guess we just have to take things…nice and slow."

Romeo and Powder meowed in unison, which would have sounded like clanging cymbals to the average ear. To Shawn and Juliet, however, leaning into each other for another heart stopping, tender kiss, they heard the Hallelujah Chorus.

* * *

_A/N: A few lines were inspired by Mat Kearney's music in case you didn't notice. On another note, I apologize for this chapter. I personally have felt a bit rushed with everything going on in my life. I hope you still enjoyed it :) Stay tuned for the Epilogue, _All I Need,_ then we're done! Thanks you guys._


	18. All I Need

He watched her.

Sitting on Lassiter's desk, unbeknownst to her, Shawn watched Juliet from across the room and held a grin—a grin that could only be held by a man deeply in love—to himself.

She tapped away on her computer, sorted through files, and chewed her pineapple-flavored gum without giving her boyfriend any mind.

He found her positively irresistible when she paid him no attention.

They had been officially dating for a year now, with several joys and bumps along the road.

He'd been slapped.

She had cried.

He had laughed.

She had smiled.

She told him about her ex-boyfriend and coworker from Miami, Trevor, who had broken her heart by cheating on her with a friend.

Since that tearful conversation, Shawn had no problems holding his kisses, his eyes, and his heart for one girl—that one girl who made his palms grow sweaty.

Blinking back to the present, Shawn's smile faded as his heart raced. He had made his decision months ago.

His dad, of all people, had even backed him up.

His dad!

Gus, of course, was not surprised. He could read Shawn as if _he_ were the fake psychic. Even Lassiter knew, as Shawn had brought him and Gus along for advice on how to find the one that was perfect.

Hopping off of Lassiter's desk, knocking a few papers down in the process, Shawn reached into his front pocket and twirled the small, round, solid object—the reason he was forced to eat nothing but Raman noodles for nearly a month.

Tonight was the night.

It was time.

Taking another deep breath, which did nothing to steady his speeding pulse, Shawn took several nervous, but dedicated steps towards Juliet as he twirled the diamond ring in his pocket.

The End

* * *

_A/N: I cannot end this story without thanking each and every one of my reviewers again and again. You kept this story alive! I hope you had as much fun reading as it was for me to write! The fact that you took the time to share your opinions meant a lot. Thank you. Thank you!!!_

_Lastly, I regret to say this is my final fic. For personal reasons, I have chosen to take a permanent hiatus. You all have been too kind to a crappy writer like myself lol. I appreciate every word and I cannot say 'thank you' enough. Peace. :)_

_-Somebody'sBaby_


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